The Washington critic., 1887-04-08
WOMEN AT THE POLLS.

Dhuncbs, uCCOTulnB ~ lnc bIuuluiIs,
is of the neuter gender; but somehow
or other bad behavior in woman
looks much worse than bad behavior in
q man. 1t is probably because the
woman has good ways further to fall
than the man. The bad behavior OF
many Of the women Of Kansas on occa'
sion of the recent municipal elections in
that State il what suggests this train of
thought. We shall be told, Of course,
that they behaved no worse than the
mcn-in fact no worse than men gen
orally behave at the polls and that they
have as much right" to make unbc'
coming exhibitions Of themselves as the
male sex.
We do not propose to argue this
point for the reason TINT women who
talk In this way are as far beyond the
reach of argument as they are out of
sight of their own stlf.Iespect. A
woman who eau voluntarily sit down
in the mire of indecent politics aud
roll over in It, without any conscious
ness that the fair lincaments of her ni-
ture are besmirChel aud distorted by the
contact, Is in n much worse condition
than the man who mixes in the same
mess, simply because the man has little
or nothing to lose, or losing involves
nobody else in his ruin.
AS TO the abstract right Of women
to vote, admit It, As to the possibility
of their exercising salutary influence
upon certain questions, admit 1t. AS
TO the probability that in most cases
their ballots would be cast In the di,
rection of reform, admit that. Yet,
confronting and contradicting all these
fine theoretical propositions, the practi-
cal fact stares us In the face that the
women are just as likely as the men to
be led into unseemly conduct by their
low partisan spites and prejudiCes.
II is thus that they bring discredit on
the franchise for which they have so
long contended and demonstrate their
unfitness to exercise 1t. AT Wichita
this week they outvied the cowboys In
vulgarity. At Leavenworth, Mrs.
Cougar. one of the most prominent of
the suffrage agitators, opened the cam
paign by retailing unsavory scandals
involving various ladies of high social
sanding In that place, with view to
Influencing public sentiment against
the candidates whom they supported
The man who should do the same
thing would ne horsewhipped or shot.
The woman who did it assumes to a
bright and particular eXemplar of the
virtues Of unseXcl citizenship.
As q consequence OF Mrl. Cougar 5
peculiar methois--ms,hods that hon
orabc men of all parties long since
dsCarded-thc contest was converted
into hair.pulling hrawl, filling the
whole air with the tatters OF torn
regulations and fusillad,s of billings.
gate. AS n further consequence Mrs.
Cougars ticket was beaten, which l.
the only redeeming feature Of the dis
graceful affair, considering her defeat
as Just retribution for her shameful
tactics.
It may be that the women voters will
that they should? Learning In this
direction means loss In some other di.
rec'ion-loss to the happiness of homes,
over which this new and baleful
shadow is cast; loss to the dignity :;oi
motherhood; loss to the graces of girl
hood, contaminated by coarse associa
tions; loss TO the symmetry of true
womanhood; loss to the peace of So
cieiy; loss to the standard of public
morals. And what shall lie the com,
pensation for all this loss?
Mn. WHITELAw REID having denied
that he ever wrote letter to Mura
Halstead. declaring purpose to aban
don Blaine and take up with Sherman
ard Mr.. Halstead having denied tht
receipt of any such letter from Mr.
Reid, one would suppose that this wa'
the end Of the matter. But now We
are told that the letter in question, in
stead Of being addressed to Mr.. Hal
stead, was addressed to Mr.. Halstead'
wicked partner, Deacon Richard
Smith. This will necessitate the writing
Of another series of denials all around
An extra session Of Congress will
probably be called to convene October
]. The Citizens Committee of thu
District of Columbia, which Is nov
about ready to 90 to work, ought t,
make diligent use OF the next four o
five months, so as to have It's bushes
well shaped up. II confederation o
District matters is postponed to tn
regular winter session they will be il
great danger OF going uucOnsdcred
IRIS still mystery at the state De
partmeut how the Russian EXtraditio
Treaty got OUT in advance of its oil
cial authorization The theory o.
Newspaper Row is that the two distin
guished Siberian eXlles, Count Skoop
omOn and Colonel Setemupski, VIII
have since disappeared from the city
were at the bottom of the piracy.
THE most remarkable Thing abou
the election" says the Cincinnati Com
mrcia Gazette, "is the appearance q
the Democratic party as third party.
Just so; We noticed 1t up In Rhod
Island, only there 1t happened to be tn
third party from the bottom-the mos
remarkable thing that has happened ii
that State for twenty-five years.
IT IS THE general testimony Of tn
local clergy that the services Of Lentel
and HOLY Week have never before beel